LinkNYC is an ambitious plan to cover the Big Apple in free super-fast gigabit WiFi using a series of hotspots that will replace all those boring old payphones. Starting today, the first updated LinkNYC WiFi access points are up and running with their own Android tablets, ready to provide quick access to maps, a browser, calls, and city services.

The hubs themselves are 9.5 feet tall and equipped with two 55-inch displays on each side. These are used to display ads and information about the service. The 10-inch tablets have been tested at temperatures from -4 to 104 degrees F. They run Android with just a few apps as mentioned above. Sessions are not time-limited, but all cookies and personal data will be purged when you end the session or allow it to time out. If you're placing a call, there's a headphone port so you can do so with a modicum of privacy. Below that, are USB ports to get a little juice for your phone.

There are around a dozen of these tablet-equipped LinkNYC hotspots along Third Avenue so far, but all future hubs will have the tablets included. Around 500 of these hubs should be installed by July, and the full network will consist of more than 7,500 of these urban WiFi obelisks.

Source: LinkNYC

Via: The Verge